Choosers of the Slain

by John Ringo

  Girls were lined up along the street outside the brothel, waving at every passing car, shouting, screaming even. She watched as one walked right out into the road and tried to stop a passing Lada, with three men in it, by standing in front of it. The driver honked and maneuvered around her at which she screamed and punched the passenger side window, letting out a stream of profanity that even Katya found impressive.

  Katya looked at the women along the street and despaired of ever finding this Natalya bitch. She was just standing there, her arms crossed, when a Fiat pulled to a halt and honked its horn. She didn't even realize it was honking at her until three other girls rushed over, leaning in the passenger window, and she heard the argument.

  "No! The one behind you you stupid bitches!" the man shouted in English. "Get out of the way you ugly whores. That one! The blonde!"

  Katya walked up behind the center girl trying to force her way into the car and calmly kicked her in the crotch. That area was just about as sensitive on a woman as on a man, not to mention being that girl's main source of income, and the girl let out a shriek and crouched back, falling over on her stilletto heels.

  "I'm just who you want," Katya said, kicking the girl blocking the door handle in the ankle and opening the door. "I take very good care of you."

  "You're fucking gorgeous," the man said, embarassedly wiping at his face when he actually drooled.

  American from the accent, overweight but not gross and balding. And very excited. She'd seen worse. She leaned over and ran her hand over his crotch. Well, not that excited. This was going to take some time.

  "I am very good for you," she said.

  "You look ... young," the man said. "Where am I going? Where am I going?"

  "I have room," Katya said, shaking her head. She didn't know where the hangouts were in this town. Five minutes on the street and she was already picked up. Of course, after decent living with the Kildar, and the easy life in the brothel before that, she looked better than most of the street hookers in this town. Enough better that it actually frightened her for a second. But if Boris, the bastard, hadn't noticed anything she was probably safe.

  "I've been in one of those," the man said with a shudder, looking around at the traffic fearfully. "And I nearly had my car stolen. They tore out the radio and you wouldn't believe what those assholes at the rental agency charged me to get it replaced!"

  "You have hotel?" Katya asked, rolling her eyes. This was going to take extra fuck time and travel time and then she had to get back! Maybe she could work the hotel, but the security probably already had deals with other girls. Well, that was what blowjobs were for. "I can give you blow, here."

  "Not here, it's not safe," the man said breathlessly.

  Katya tried very hard not to sigh, the guy was such a ... what was it Russell said, a "whiner"? Stuck in that hole in Georgia, servicing kopekless farm hands, she'd forgotten about tricks like this. The scared ones, the ones that were running from everything and completely out of their element. Sure enough, he had a wedding ring. He was probably over in Europe for "business" and somehow drifted to Albania.

  "We'll go to my hotel," the man said, suddenly, turning left and nearly broadsiding a van. "Could you take your hand off my zipper? I'm sort of ..."

  "You need good thing," Katya said, sliding over and working more on the man's crotch. If she didn't he'd take forever to cum when they got to the hotel. He clearly hadn't had an erection in the last decade.

  "How young are you?" the man said, suddenly, slowing the car down.

  "I am not too young," she answered, not sure if he wanted some young thing or was afraid of her being "too" young. How young was "too" young? Was she "too" young when Ivan had raped her when she was eight? "But I am young enough to make it very good for you."

  "Wait," he said, actually turning and looking at her. Since she'd gotten in the car, he'd seemed afraid of even that. "You're speaking English?"

  "I speak little," she said, cursing. Fluent English, and she was fully fluent at this point, wasn't common among street whores. "How young you want me?" she asked, couquettishly, dropping her head and looking up at him from under her lashes. "I can be as young want. I am very nearly virgin," she added, knowing that would get him off. Sure enough, he actually went from entirely flaccid to having a pulse.

  "How young are you?" the man said, speeding up again and running a red light. Not that anyone paid any attention to them, anyway.

  "I am just turn sixteen," Katya said, stripping an easy year off her age and picking one that Americans seemed to fixate upon. "I am old enough, here. There is no problem."

  "Are you sure you're sixteen?" the man said, with an edge of disappointment as they pulled up at the hotel.

  "When we get to the room, I tell you real age," Katya said coyly, smiling up at him innocently and batting blue eyes through lashes again. "I give you very good time and you give me good money, yes?"

  "Yeah, yeah," the man panted. "But ... I can't be seen going through the lobby with you ..."

  "Give me room number," Katya said, trying very hard not to sigh. "I meet you there."

  * * *

  Mikhail didn't like this particular "mission," but he felt he had to set a good example. Each of the team would have to move around town and meet and ... spend time with the hookers that supported the local economy. There were a few problems with that in his case. The first was that he'd never picked up a hooker. The rest didn't bear thinking on.

  He drove down the main boulevard in a surprisingly nervous state for someone who'd faced Chechens in battle. He thought that he had been fully trained for whatever he might encounter, but the American trainers had not really given him much advice on this particular skill. He could have killed some of the hookers lining the street and in many cases shouting at him. But he wasn't sure he knew how to talk to them. There should have been a training task on this. He'd have to bring it up when they got back. If they got back.

  He knew he didn't want to pick up one of the hard-faced bitches that looked as old as his mother, and not nearly as pretty. They were mostly the ones that screeched from the sidewalk like crows and sometimes ran over and tried to pull his car door open. And some of the girls just looked.... He couldn't imagine doing it with them. They were just ...

  Finally he spotted what he was looking for after about an hour of driving around and pulled over, waving at the girl.

  The brunette practically ran to the door as he leaned over and unlocked it. She still had to hip-check another woman, one of the older ones, out of the way and tumbled into the passenger seat.

  "Hello," the girl said, sliding over to lean against him. "I'm Tanya. I give you very good time."

  "Mikhail," the Keldara said, putting the car in gear and trying to figure out which way back to the hotel.

  "Hello, Mikhail," the girl said, sitting up. "Where are we going?"

  "The Hotel Albana if I can find it," Mikhail said.

  "I think you take a right up here," the girl said, sighing. "I've been there, once. Is nice. But it takes time to get there and back, so it will be more. I give you very good time for an hour for ... fifty euros."

  Vanner had told him that the girl should cost thirty or forty euros but he wasn't going to haggle. One of the reasons that he'd picked this girl out was that she looked as if she knew what she was doing but she didn't really look like a whore. He just couldn't haggle with her.

  "Fifty is okay," Mikhail said, frowning. Vanner had told him to just submit an "expense report." He figured one of the women would know how to do that.

  "Ooo, you're nice," Tanya said, running her hand over his arm. "You are going to like this very much."

  Mikhail frowned for a second and then sighed.

  "Is something need to tell you," he said.

  "You want special service is more," Tanya said, not looking very happy. "In ass is ten euros. You want hit, is more."

  "It's not that," Mikhail said, hurriedly. "It's ... I've never done this before. Been with
a ..."

  "Prostitute?" the girl asked then looked at his face and stopped. "Oh. Have never been with girl?"

  "Don't laugh, please," Mikhail said desperately.

  "Learn early not to laugh at men," Tanya said, still looking at him seriously. "You tell truth?"

  "Yes," Mikhail said, frowning. "Where I'm from ... is not much chance. Good girls ... don't. Bad girls ... leave."

  "Oh," Tanya said. "Well, I show you good time. Will be okay, okay?"

  "Okay," Mikhail said, smiling finally. "Thank you for not making fun of me. How did ..."

  "How did nice girl like me end up here?" Tanya said, sighing. "From nice boy like you."

  "Excuse me?"

  "Boyfriend," Tanya said, leaning back into her own seat. "I'm with him for ... three months or so. He tells me has a friend can get me into Germany as maid. There is no work in Russia for me, so I say I'll meet friend. Turns out friend gets hookers for Albanians. Never see boyfriend again."

  "That's ..." Mikhail said angrily.

  "Shitty, yes?" the girl replied with a bitter laugh. "I think, maybe he not know. I love him, yes? And he do this to me. But he must know. Sometimes think of what would want to do to him if found him again. Are not nice thoughts."

  "I'll hold his arms for you," Mikhail said. "If you not want to do this ..."

  "I have to do this," Tanya said desperately. "Don't drop me off, please. I need to earn money. If I don't bring back money, I get beaten."

  "Okay," Mikhail said, as they pulled up to the hotel. "We do this."

  "You very nice," Tanya replied, snuggling back up to him. "You nice boy, nice man. I think I give you special service. I rock your world."

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  When the American answered the door he grabbed her and tried to kiss her on the mouth. Katya thought about it for a second and let him. He'd put on cologne and brushed his teeth. Americans. Like she cared.

  "I am very good for you," she said, rethinking her strategy. If she walked back to the hotel, she'd probably be passing through a bunch of other brothels' territories. Which meant if she tried to pick up tricks, she'd get the crap beat out of her by the pimps that watched the girls. Paying for a taxi, unless this guy was incredibly generous, was out of the question. Even if he gave her the fare, she'd be better to pocket it and walk.

  But it was at least a half hour walk back, if she walked fast. In heels.

  So ... and so.

  "I give you good time," Katya said, pushing him back towards the bed. "And you give me money, please?" she practically sobbed. "I am sorry to ask, I am not good whore. I have only been whore for few days." She sat on the edge of the bed and started sobbing.

  "What?" the man said, sitting up and patting her on the shoulder. "Really?"

  "I am orphan," she sobbed. "I am thrown out of orphanage. There I learn English. Not so good, but I can understand, yes? I have nowhere to go, no one hire me. I must do this." She looked up, suddenly, and stared at him, fiercely. "I will do this with you, yes? You are good man, sweet and nice, a good American, yes? I will give you much sex, but, please ..." She broke down and sobbed. "Please, I ask you not send me back out. I will give you sex over and over but Boris, he hit me if I not bring back enough! Please to help me!"

  "How old are you, child?" the man said, pulling her up into his lap.

  "I am ... I am fourteen," Katya sobbed. "I am only whore a few days. Boris, he rape me and tell me I make money for him. He make me pay rent and I must pay him eight hundred euros every day! Yesterday, I only make sixty euros! He hit me much," she added, pointing to the bruises on her face and her cut lip.

  "That's just ... abominable," the man snapped. "Horrible! You can stay here, if you want. I'm going to be here ... I'd planned on being here for a few days ..."

  "No!" Katya gasped in fear. "No! Boris' men, they find me. Find you! No, I will stay with you until is very late. But I must have money! I must ... you are not ... I must ..." She broke down again.

  "Look," the man said. "I'd planned on spending ... quite a bit, here. You can have it. I don't really need ..." He stopped and sighed.

  "You need, yes?" Katya said, looking up with tears in her eyes. "I will. With you, I am very good for you, yes? And ... you need. I feel you."

  "My wife and I ..." the man said with a sigh. "I mean, I love her, but she just ... doesn't want to anymore. And I'm not going to ... you can't just up and beat a woman because she doesn't want to have sex. So ... I use a Kleenex and ... well. Anyway, I was at a seminar in Italy and there was this ... young lady. Like you but ... not as young. And she ... was very good for me."

  Katya was fighting yawning and trying to keep the tears going at the same time. It was a tough call, but she managed it. The important part was to stare him in the eye and nod. Doing your nails was a bad idea. Save that for later when he was on top and wouldn't notice as long as you kept making lots of noise.

  The long story of the man's journey to the most whore-infested town in Albania wound to a close and Katya jerked back to wakefulness, trying to remember what he'd said.

  "Your wife is very bad woman!" Katya said, throwing her arms around him. "She should give you what you need. You are good man!" I hope I can suck enough out of him for all this time. But if I play my cards right ...

  "She's not a bad woman," the man said with a sigh. "She just doesn't understand how ... what I need. And ... she's not as good looking as she used to be. I don't want to leave her, though. So ... here I am. In Lunari. It seemed like a good idea with a few drinks in me ..."

  "But I am good you," Katya said, standing up and lifting up her skirt a little. "I am take care you. But ..."

  "I'll pay you," the man said, reaching into his shirt and pulling out a secure wallet. "I'll buy you from him if that's what it takes!"

  "Would not sell me," Katya said, pushing the money away and mentally calculating the bulge. If that was all he had with him, she was sunk. "This town, is not safe and safe at all same time. I know people make safe. But need money. You pay me, I stay near you most of time. Must go back so they know I not try to run. But I come for you. I show you town, we go to club. You pay me. I give you much sex, more sex than ever have in life. We get other girls, do it together if you want. Not much more money at all. I take very good care of you! But ..."

  "Would a thousand euros a day cover it?" the man asked, pulling out travellers' checks.

  "I cannot do with those ..." Katya said in real desperation. "But can cash at hotel?"

  "I have some euros, too," the man said, handing them over to her. It was about three hundred, so far so good. Oh, shit, the mission. This would have been heaven if she was really one of the whores in the brothel. But she had a different mission. "And, yes, I can cash them at the hotel. And it has an ATM, but ... if I hit that too hard my wife will wonder why."

  "We take care of it," Katya said, seriously, but with a touch of innocence. "I take care of you and give you very good time until you leave. I am rock your world."

  * * *

  "Oh ... wow!" Mikhail said, lying back on the bed.

  "You come quick," Tanya replied, wiping the cum away from her mouth. "And lots. I think there is more there," she added, stroking his member. Sure enough, it started to pop back to life.

  "I'm not sure ..." Mikhail said, starting to sit up.

  "I show you other way," the hooker said, standing up and pulling off her sheath dress. "You like my body?"

  "You're very pretty," Mikhail admitted. She would only be average as a Keldara, but he'd never seen a Keldara girl naked so he had limited experience to judge. All he knew was that he wanted to do it again. And again and again.

  "Come over here," she said, lying down on the bed. "You need condom."

  "I've got one," Mikhail admitted, getting up quickly and digging through his bags until he found the foil packet.

  "I show," Tanya said as he fumbled with the latex sheeth. "Is almost too small." She took the condom, placed the tip in her mouth and put it on that
way. "You like?"

  "Yes," Mikhail admitted. "What ... where ...?"

  "Come here," the girl said, pulling him over to her. "On top. Try not to put all your weight on me ..." She started to spit on her fingers to moisten herself and realized she didn't have to, she was actually enjoying herself. "I get you there ..." she added, guiding him down and in.

  "Oh ... wow," Mikhail repeated, starting to pump at her furiously. He looked up after a moment and stopped as he saw tears in the girl's eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked, starting to pull out.

  "Don't," she said, digging her fingers into his buttocks. "Is good for me, too. You are very nice. I like. Makes me sad, though. I not be whore for very long. Is almost like boyfriend again."

  "Only almost?" Mikhail asked.

  "Actually, is better," Tanya admitted, grinning through the tears. "Boyfriend was too small. I think you are rock my world."

  * * *

  Katya got out of the taxi, one of the last driving around Lunari, and twisted her spine to get it back in line, getting a full view of the front of the building. Two guards, more barred windows up to the fourth storey, heavy steel door. The street was mostly deserted, though, at this time of night.

  The man, he said his name was Tom and he was a neurosurgeon from Cleveland, Tennessee, had been as hard to get off as she'd predicted. But he still wanted sex most of the time and she'd given it to him. And he must have slept in, because he hadn't passed out until after three. It hadn't advanced the mission much, but it gave her some leeway. She had her money for the day, at least.

  "You're late," the guard on the door growled. She was using the front entrance, which she'd never been through, because it was clear the others were closed.

  "I have to make money, yes?" she asked.

  "Get in," he said, irritably. "You're the last one."

  Boris, unbelievably, was still awake, the bastard.

  "Where the fuck have you been, bitch!" he stormed, walking up to her and smashing her to the floor with a hard slap.

  "I have your money!" she whimpered, reaching under the dress and pulling out money. "Six hundred euros!"